Guilty Until Proven Innocent
by rhy-k
Summary: Domino Daily reporter 'Gyspy' was just stopping by the Game Shop to bid her friends the Motos hello. What she wasn’t expecting, was to find Yugi’s dead body...and Seto Kaiba standing over it. [final chapter up]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: And I will be saying this ONCE: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

However Gabriella Ineudo a.k.a Gypsy is MINE, and so is Tulsi.

Also, I've spelt the words are English Caribbean version not English U.S.

Chapter One: 

Gypsy sipped her coke and stared blanklyat the computer screen. For tomorrow's top story: _Fireman Saves _Cat…hey, at least she took out a great photo of that darn cat in that gorgeous fireman's arms, minutes before the pampered feline pooped on her sneakers…

Her head hit the keyboard.

Gypsy had done creative writing not Journalism at college. She had first taken a Job at Domino Daily upon graduating till she could afford to support herself on novel writing and to gain some expertise. She had made a few unsuccessful attempts at writing her novel but after time, her job took all her time. She usually enjoyed her work, but it was times like these she whished she could just up and quit. But after 5 years on the paper, Gypsy was a bit afraid for trading in a regular income and a roof over her head for becoming a fully time author.

She glanced at the clock, at 13:30hrs, on a Monday afternoon, she still had half an hour to go before deadline time. Typing up a brief story she hit print, a grin touching her features as she thought of her own pampered pet, whom, unfortunately knew know to get down of anywhere he got up.

Getting up she stretched her thin 5'10" frame, encased in a white shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and black flats.

Grabbing the paper from the pint tray Gypsy took her notes and headed down to the darkroom, collected the photo, then headed to copy.

She quickly scanned her notes and gave them to one of the secretaries. Gypsy had uneasy feeling, a tingling in her bones. It was this sixth sense that often preceded either danger or a headliner…sometimes both.

Leaving a message for the supervisor that she was going out on a story Gypsy picked up her tote bag, stepping out of the building she inhaled a deep breath of the mild air spring air. A breeze picked up and ruffled her hair.

Hitting the streets she headed to the park, one could always find wacky pet stories there, even at this hour. On her way, she decided to pass Domino Game shop so that she could drop in and say hi to Yugi and Yami. Well, that, andsee if any new shipment of games had come in.

She and the Moto brothers, Yugi and Yami Moto, had gone to the same college. She had trailed the Moto Brothers in age by five years. The Motos had been seniors in their last year of college and she had been a freshman.

Although they had been all taking different courses, they shared a similar passion for the game of Duel Monsters. She often dropped by the Game shop to chat and get the scoop on the latest in the gaming world, especially in duel monsters.

Gypsy loved gaming; In fact, she loved games so much; she had out written the competition to be chosen as the columnist of the bi-monthly feature gaming article in the Domino Review entitled: "Game Geek."

She saw a Black Limo parked outside of the shop, the license plate donning the usual Kaiba Corp logo. She wondered if Mokuba had dropped by. She entered the gaming shop, the bell above the door ringing as she entered, announcing her presence. The shop was, surprisingly, empty. Funny she thought that the shop should be unattended when the door was open.

A muffled scream suddenly filled the quietair. It appeared to be coming from upstairs…

Gypsy ran up the steps towards the first room she came into contact with: Yugi's room.

It was Tea…

And Seto Kaiba was standing in what appeared to be shock near a body, a gun being the only thing between them.

"H-he…he…he shot…he shot Yu…HE SHOT YUGI!" screamed Tea hysterically.

Something told Gypsy that she had just got her revenge on that darn cat.

A/N: 6 reviews and I will consider continuing this, other than that, its not worth my time and effort.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Any reviews with foul language in them WILL be removed / registered users blocked and reported. Please keep Reviews 'G' rated. I don't care much for flamers. Critics are much better, they point out faults. However bashing this fiction because you dislike Yu-gi-oh or anyone of its characters is not acceptable because I DO NOT own it – if I did why would, I be writing this as a Fan Fiction?

Many Thanks to Liz for taking the time to edit this story.

Chapter Two 

It was nearly Midnight. Tomorrow's paper was probably in the process of being printed at that very moment…

Everything that occurredbetween the time Gypsy had entered the murder scene and the current time had been a complete and utter blur. And in the midst of it all, she couldn't remember exactly when Yami had appeared…

Gypsy walked over to the body, and checked for a pulse, there was none, Yugi Moto was dead.

She pulled out her cell phone and left the room in a rush, which, surprisingly enough, still contained a scared and baffled Seto Kaiba. She needed to call Joey who, at the young age of 28, was the most successful layer in Domino. She wanted him to bring the cops with him to the shop…

And to arrive as soon as humanely possible…

He was there in a heartbeat.

After that she couldn't remember much, other than trying to calm a frantic Mrs. Moto, poor Tea, she was a widow now. Joey, being the wonderful friend he was, had taken the liberty of tending to Tea, whilst she gave a statement to the police. She then went back up the stairs towards themurder scene to hear what the police had to say…

"Small Semi automatic handgun…"

"Shot clean through the heart…"

"But is it a match?"

"Don't know…we'll have to do a complete analysis just to make sure…"

"We'll analyze the gun found next to the body to see if it's a match…**"**

Seto Kaiba was taken away in a police car. She took a photo as he entered it.

The article Gypsy had written was brief: it included some of the details of Seto being found in the room with the body, but she didn't mention the gun…_yet_. She also includedsome brief notes on the Moto's connection with the Kaibas. Gypsy, who had been a close friend of Yugi's was deeply shocked and saddened by the murder, andblamed the infamous Seto Kaiba with every fiber of her being…

This wasn't the _first_ time she had been angry at the rich CEO. Gypsy hadn't been forced to recall that spring for a _long_ time now, but at that very moment,the memory was as vivid as if it had occurred yesterday…

It was a normal spring day. Exams were finallyover and everyone was eagerly awaiting spring break. A group of them, including her, Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Rouy, Serenity and Marik were sitting a massive oak tree in front of the college…that is, until Seto Kaiba came parading over.

"Well, if it isn't the 'Dueling Monkey League,'" he teased. They had nicknamed themselves "The Champions League,' and so whenever the rich teen purposefully debased it to their faces, it struck a rather painful nerve.

"_Watch_ it, Money Bags," hissed an angry blonde.

"Joey," said Yugi in a warning voice.

"You'd best listen to your friend, mutt…for when it comes to champions, you're all out of your league."

"Take that back Kaiba." Gypsy growled, clenching her fists and threatening to rise.

"Why, if it isn't little Miss Gabriella Ineudo; Run back to high school with children your own age, little girl."

"_Little_ _Girl_?" she retorted the comment had hit home, at fifteen Gypsy was several years younger than the already graying CEO. Getting up to her full height, "I'll _show_ you _little girl_… Seto Kaiba I challenge you to a duel!"

"Gypsy!" cried Yugi, a look of terror plaguing his face.

"Don't worry Yugi'…this snob needs to be taught a lesson once and for all," she gently replied.

Kaiba raised an amused brow, smirking as he said. "Alright…I _accept_ your challenge. Meet me in the Kaiba Land Dueling Stadiumat 17:00 hrs sharp."

A small smirk tugged at the corner of the girl's mouth, her dark brown eyes sparkling. "You're on."

Thank you for taking the time for reading and reviewing my story.

Hope you like it!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Some of you may have noticed that some of the words and paragraphs have been bunching together. This is due to the fact that the site deletes some of the spaces in the upload. I've been trying to stop this from happening but so far nothing works.

On a lighter note: Yay! 'Guilty' is on the Favorite list of 3 ppl!

And all are free to join my new Forum and C2.

One more thing, I've noticed that while the hits are good for this story are high I haven't been getting a lot of reviews, reviews help me to see where I went wrong and how I can improve on my writing, so please take a moment and tell me what you think and keep it PG.

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Ch 3 

Gypsy, armed with nothing but her deck and a duel disk, arrived at the Kaiba Corp headquarters at 17:00 hrs sharp. Kaiba must have previously prepared the dueling field, for many seats had been set up around the stadium: Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Rouy Bakura, Serenity, Mai and Marik occupied half of the front row. Scattered in the stands elsewhere were other students of the college; apparently, news of the Duel had spread like wild fire.

Gypsy, decked in faded blue Jeans, a baggy jersey, and loosely tied hair, walked onto the arena and stood opposite Kaiba, who had worn in his infamous battle city attire. They both nodded and activated their duel disks. Life point counters beeped and set themselves to 4000LP as they each drew five cards.

"I'll go first," said Gypsy as she drew a sixth card. "I play La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode, and end my turn." La Jinn majestically emerged from his lamp and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Pathetic opening move," her opponent muttered as he drew a card, "Though such things are expected from those that are thoughtless and inexperienced. I play a monster in defense mode, place two magic/trap cards face down, and end my turn,"

She drew a card, "My move…I summon Susa Soldier in attack mode. Susa, attack his defensive monster!" Susa Solider swung his sword high above his head, causing lightening to fly from the front of the blade. As the weapon descended, Kaiba's defense monster exploded, forcing both players to shield their eyes.

A satisfied smirk crossed Gypsy's lips. "Now La Jinn, attack his Life Points directly!" The ancient Genie shot a stream of intense, green light at Kaiba. It hit him hard, causing him to grunt and his Life points to drop to 2200. A cheer arose from the crowd. Gypsy grinned, sending a quick wave to her friends as she said: "I end my turn, however since Susa is a spirit monster, he returns to my hand." Her Susa Soldier then turned into a tiny orb of light and returned to the card that she held up in her hand.

Kaiba smirked. "Only amateurs celebrate their victory after every triumph. I mean, everyone knows it's the end of the duel that counts…and it just so happens that the end for you is now! I draw and play Pot Of greed, which allows me to draw two cards. Then, I summon Lord of D and activate my two face-down magic cards – Flute of Summoning Dragons!"

Gypsy blanched, her triumphant smile slowly upturning into a horrified frown. "Oh no…"

Kaiba nodded smugly. "Oh _yes_…I summon all three of my Blue Eyes white Dragons! Now, my BEWD…attack her La Jinn and wipe out the rest of her life points with your White lighting attack!"

The three blue eyes obeyed, turned their heads, and attacked the girl that stood helplessly before them. Streams of magnificent blue and white coloured light emitted from their mouths, first obliterating La Jinn and then engulfing Gypsy in a blinding, luminescent ball. The spectators in the stadium gasped and shielded their eyes.

When their vision returned to normal, Seto Kaiba was standing with a triumphant smirk on his face and Gypsy was down on her knees, her head bowed, and her dark brown hair falling about her face.

Gypsy tightly clenched her teeth, eyes, and fists as the CEO's harsh, conceited words echoed menacingly across the cavernous walls of her mind…

"_That_ should teach you not to mess with the pros…"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Yugi's last name according to in the American way is spelt Moto and the Japanese way Mutou, you can also spell his name a variety of different ways, but I've chosen Moto for convenience. Local Phone Service will be down tii friday, so i'm updating a day eailier.

* * *

Chapter 4

Gypsy woke up early the next day to the ringing of her cell phone. It was approximately 7:30 according to her clock. Being lost in reminisce, she hadn't gotten into bed until long after midnight. She sleepily scrabbled for the phone, knocking down, and breaking, her alarm clock to the ground in the process.

"'Lo…?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Gabriella, get over here…_now_." It was her Editor…

She was instantly awake. Before she could ask what the matter was, he had hung up. Gypsy readied quickly, grabbing the first outfit that came to hand and hastily fed her pampered feline Tulsi. Ten minutes later, she was out the door with her tote in hand. She could always get breakfast at the office…

Luckily, the office was just across the street from her apartment. When the original owners had sold out the building a few years ago, the founders of the Domino Daily had bought the building so its reporters could come and go quickly and sufficiently.

Tristan, the paper's sports writer, happened to be passing by the never-ending staircase she had been climbing for the past five minutes, a box of donuts in hand. She grabbed a powdered one out of the semi- open box and at a quick, sharp "hey!" turned back and pecked him on the cheek.

"Thanks Tristan."

"Next time, _you're_ paying," he said in a mock-cross tone.

"Next time – I promise."

"Yeah whatever…NEXT TIME, just aim for the lips, alright?" he added with a smile.

She hurried off, smiling in between bites of donut. Tristan Taylor lived two doors down from her apartment. They went out once in a while to the arcade or movies, dinner at the plaza or just for a walk on a breezy day. In college, they had known each other through Yugi and because they had been taking similar courses, but were in different years. Gypsy tried her hardest to get him to have a little fun once in a while, for he had been left at the alter a month back and hadn't quite gotten over it yet.

She wiped the crumbs off of her mouth and cautiously entered her editor's office. Sitting in the chairs opposite his desk were the two men that were in charge of Yugi's Murder. Gypsy silently groaned and forced a smile.

"Miss Ineudo, I understand that you didn't mention the gun in the news report," one of the officers stated, getting straight to the point. She had worked with this particular Lieutenant before – Smith was his name. She actually respected him for his curt and straightforward personality because he wasn't too fond of beating around the bush…and neither was she.

"No, I didn't," she quietly replied, taking an empty seat adjacent from them. "Didn't seem like the wisest move…"

Smith nodded, a ghost of a grin breaking though his emotionless façade "Yes, it looks to me like your superiors picked the right girl for the job."

Gypsy refrained from reminding the officers that she had not been picked for the job, but was a witness and no one else could have possibly written the article. "Kaiba's lawyers have been working around the clock since yesterday. Although they have read the statement you gave, they want to interview you as soon a possible." He paused for a moment to rub his aching temples; he must have been up all night last night.

"Aright, Just lemme get a good liter of caffeine in me…this looks like the beginning of a very long day," she muttered dryly.

"Well at least it has nothing to do with cats," her editor replied with a grin.

She grinned at the puzzled look on the officers' faces. "Yeah…thank goodness for that."

Just as Gypsy thought things couldn't get worse, her editor's telephone rang. He spoke for a few minutes then turned towards her, looking rather grave.

"Seto Kaiba is out on bail. He requests to see you immediately in his office downtown."

Oh yes…this was going to be a day straight out of hell…

And she was _one hundred_ percent sure that Kaiba would be hell-bent on making the rest of her life be just as miserable…

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Chapter 5

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A/N:

Kaiba: I really must congratulate you people on _bothering _read this.

Ry: Ya know I chose you as a muse because you were the strong _silent_ type.

Kaiba: ………….

Ry: Much better. Anyways sorry for the late update, Although I'm already finished writing the whole story, it still needs to go through the final edit before posting, which I usually do on Thursday mornings, as I only have afternoon classes that day. However, I had to go to a meeting last Thursday and didn't have time to upload.

Kaiba: I think everyone has had enough of your pathetic excuses.

Ry: Don't mind him he's just cross I didn't allow him in the A/N section till now. Happy reading! I'm glad you guys like it so far.

* * *

Chapter Five

Gypsy uninterestedly glanced around the interior of the Kaiba Corp limo. It had everything from a small television to a mini-bar. She slowly leaned forward and poured herself a drink. Usually she was just a social drinker, but at that particular unsettling moment, she really needed one to steady her nerves…

The reporter brought the cup to her lips and grimaced, wondering just how much of Domino's population had turned to drinking because of that narcissistic bastard…

And to think: the guy wasn't even _born_ a Kaiba! Though, as far as she was concerned, he might as well have been, considering he was a _royal _pain in the ass…

She sat back and tried to stop the flow of memories that had been running through her head ever since yesterday, but she couldn't. The reason she often neglected to forget her humiliating defeat at Kaiba's hands was because of the events that followed…

After standing there for about a good half minute, the smirking CEO turned and walked away. Victory was his. The gang was already getting up out of their seats; Gypsy got up and ran out of the stadium, never once looking up to see where she was going. Somehow, she made it back to her dorm room. Once inside, she found Tea sitting on her bed.

"I'm ok, really, I am," she whispered hoarsely to the anxious-looking girl.

"Good," came her reply. "Now sit down…I'm gonna make you some tea."

A few moments later, Tea returned, balancing a small tray in her hands. She carefully set it down on the nearest table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Gypsy, who accepted it with a small smile.

"I don't know how to say this, but the Medial Arts hospital called…" The brunette paused, almost as if she were searching for the right words…ones that wouldn't sting quite as much. Medical Arts was a group of small, private hospitals that were scattered all across the country, but one just so happened to be located around where her parents lived…

Gypsy was instantly alert.

"Your parents," her friend continued, looking at her sadly, "have been in an accident…" Another pause…Gypsy could almost feel the curt 'no' of denial forming on her lips.

"It was a fatal one."

_CRASH!_

Gypsy's cup was now on the floor in multiple pieces, the hot, brown liquid that had once been swirling within it forming a small pool at her feet.

"I'm SO sorry…" 

For the next few weeks or so, Gypsy was numb from head to toe. Her parents' funeral felt abnormally unreal, passing her by as if it were in a silent, slow motion. She nodded to various people that were offering their sympathy, but she couldn't really tell what they were saying. Their voices were far too distant. The gang stayed with her the entire time, especially Joey and Yugi. And when they couldn't be present, Joey's sister Serenity was.

One day, as Gypsy was in the midst of skimming though a new batch of sympathy cards with Serenity, a knock sounded at the door. Her red-haired friend, who had gone to answer it, gave a small gasp of delight.

"Wow, Gypsy…looks like somebody really likes ya."

Gypsy, who hadn't really paid attention to what she'd said, slowly lifted her head. There stood Serenity, delicately holding a beautiful, crystal vase filled with at LEAST three dozen, luscious long-stem roses…

Her friend grinned as she set the vase down on the table in front of her. "Dreadfully expensive for a sympathy gift, wouldn't you say?"

Ignoring what the redhead was trying to unsubtly imply, Gypsy briefly checked the card. 'For your loss' was all it said, aside from a neat signature at the very bottom…

_Seto_ _Kaiba_.

Anger consumed her like a nasty virus, enough to tempt her to _personally _escort the vase back to the CEO's office and smash it over his stupid head…flowers and all. Of course, she didn't, but it was still tempting nonetheless…

Instead, she picked up the card and put it away. It was most likely that no one, save her and Serenity, knew about the delivery, so she decided that she wasn't going to give the rich, CEO the satisfaction of knowing the sort of stirring effect that those three words had had on her. It was easy enough, seeing as how he was graduating that year. She was sorry she wouldn't be able to see much of Yugi and the rest of the gang as a result, but it was a small price to pay if she never wanted to see Kaiba again either…

She avoided the tall brunette at all costs. The duel was forgotten. Gypsy got a part time job as an intern for a local teen magazine and worked hard so that she could maintain her scholarship. Her holidays spend at a foster home. Up until just yesterday, she had had no personal contact with the CEO. Although she saw him a lot, she always strove to keep out of his sight. Now she was being ordered up to his office.

She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even realized that they'd already left downtown Domino and were heading for an exclusive residential area, mostly belonging to Kaiba Corp.

She Groaned. Kaiba wasn't meeting her at his office; he was meeting her in that monstrosity-of-a-thing, commonly known as the Kaiba Mansion.

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	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Ry: I disappointed in the low review / hits that this story has been receiving, however i'm happy that some of you like it so far.

Kaiba: Why do you even bother?

Ry: Do not make me 'write you off' in this story.

Kaiba: Yeah, Yeah, let the people read.

Ry: You'r the ones thats yaking. Anyways - Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6

Gypsy cast a look at her self in the hall mirror gave herself a wan smile. No wonder the housekeeper had upturned her nose at her when she had opened the door. She was in such a hurry to get to the office she had grabbed the first clean outfit she came in contact with, a extra large Calvin and Hobbes t-shirt with the slogan 'God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die' with a picture of Calvin and Hobbes dancing to the music pouring out of a Radio, along with a pair of black denim Jeans and sandals.

As soon as she had exited her Editor's office, a message from the front desk came that Kaiba had sent a Limo over for her.

She brushed a few remaining donut crumbs off her t-shirt and rummaged in her tote for a tube of Chap Stick; she put on a coat of it over her lips and tossed it back into her tote just as the housekeeper came in to say that MR.KAIBA would see her now. Glancing in the mirror again, she mused to herself, A little tidier but not that much different form college. She wondered if Kaiba had changed, something told her that he would be as much a jerk as he was then.

Gypsy plastered a beautiful, fake smile on her face that turned into a frowning scowl once her eyes came to rest on the ignorant CEO, and followed the housekeeper into the vast room.

Had she not been so preoccupied at the thought of seeing Kaiba again, she would have been awestruck upon entering the room. It was a Library of sorts; the walls were, lined with shelves jammed-packed with books and old, beautiful, Victorian furniture that appeared to be in excellent condition. Seto Kaiba was looking out of the window overlooking the grounds. His back was to her.

The housekeeper gave another disapproving sniff in her direction. Apparently, she was used to seeing the women that Kaiba summoned up to his kingdom a little more sophisticated in dress.

"Would you like any sort of refreshment, Miss?"

"No thank you. I don't plan to stay long." Gypsy replied.

"Bring in a tray with coffee for both of us, we might be a while," came a low rumble from Kaiba's direction as he turned around. Seto Kaiba was dressed in a pair of black pants and a royal blue turtleneck. Even so, he looked every bit the formal executive as he did in a suit. His hair had a touch of gray at the temples lending him a more dignified air, but Seto Kaiba's features were as harsh and cruel as ever.

Gypsy swallowed nervously and without being told to do so, sat down in a chair in front of the table. She feared that if she stood any longer, she would have collapsed. The housekeeper exited.

"Well, well, Miss Gabriella Ineudo, it has been some time hasn't it?"

She forced the smile that had faded from her lips when she entered in the room to resurface. "Not long enough, I'm afraid."

"I know we've never quite gotten along, and you're probably wondering why I even asked you here, so I will just get to the point, you have to print a retraction…I didn't kill Yugi."

"I never said you did, or indicated I felt so, Mr. Kaiba."

"Your words, aw well as your current expression gives you away Miss Ineudo."

"Oh for goodness sakes, you haven't called me here to listen to your lies have you Kaiba? Other than myself, the only other people around were Yugi's wife, Tea, and his brother Yami. You are not implying that one of _us_ did the deed, are you? Moreover, you and I both know that, even if the police had not ruled it out, Yugi's death was _no_ suicide.

The housekeeper entered with the tray, laden with coffee and hot scones. It smelt delicious but Gypsy did not feel hungry, although apart from a donut she had not had a meal since lunch the day before. The tension crackled between the two and the housekeeper hurriedly scurried out without even asking if they needed anything else.

"But I didn't kill him, whatever you may think of me Miss Ineudo, I am not a killer."

She _almost_ wanted to believe him. "Not directly anyway," she said and then continued in a level calm voice, almost as if she were reciting a script for a presentation. 1 "For example: The move that put your name in the business history record books, that company that you purchased 52 in shares of and then forced the company owner to _buy_ his corporation under the threat that if he didn't, you would close him down and cause all the families depending on him for their livelihoods to starve. In addition, as you have probably already heard already, the company went bankrupt a year or so after and President suffered from a fatal heart attack. Everyone who was employed became jobless." Before Kaiba could respond to her bitter story, she added, "And to think, you were only THIRTEEN at the time."

Kaiba looked at her, his blue eyes chilling hers to the bone. "At that point in time, I had to do what I had to do. I am surprised you even know about that; after all you were barely out of diapers when that incident occurred."

"I once researched your background when doing a dueling article on the Kaiba name." Which was false; she had dug up some info on Kaiba's background in her younger hero worship days - before she had actually met him at college and found out what a total jackass he truly was. "Your history is quite fascinating, I must admit." That was true enough.

"Do I detect a hint of admiration, perhaps worship, in your tone, Little Miss Ineudo?"

She gritted her teeth, "No, but my point is this: why should I listen to you?"

"Because I'm innocent – did you _not_ hear me the first time? Besides, you _know_ the consequences of challenging me, little girl...so why do you persist?" His eyes held the same, self-righteous look they had when he accepted her challenge to a duel two years short of a decade ago.

"I am not a little _girl,_ Seto Kaiba. As for you being innocent, we will leave that up to the Judge and Jury, now. All that _I_ have to say in response to your plea is that I _saw_ you at the scene of the crime, and the _only_ thing between you and Yugi's dead body was the gun. Nothing more, nothing less. Now if you will excuse me, Mr. Kaiba, news is being made, and I, as a reporter, need to record it."

"You will go _nowhere_ unless I _say_ so," he hastily replied, taking a menacing step towards her.

The prospect of being used as a human litter box never seemed so good.

* * *

A/N:

1 Fans of the show may remember this as the move that gave Kaiba his fame; however, the part about the company going bankrupt and the owner dying etc is my addition.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating. Although the entire story is already been written and edited, I need to give it a final brush up before posting, which I had no time to do during the semester. Anyways, I'm finally back on the internet and updates will be coming in regularly. See my bio page for previews of upcoming stories and a link to my original fictions.

There are many varieties of how to spell Yugi's last name, however at the time of writing I was using old notes which has the spelling as Moto, which will be the spelling I'll be using for this story.

* * *

Chapter Seven 

"Look, Gabriella, I did _not_ kill Yugi Moto. What reason would I have?"

Gypsy raised her brow at the CEO's sudden informal use of her first name name, but quickly brushed it aside. "Well for starters, he handed you your first defeat, and, aside from that, is, was, he was the sole owner of the three Egyptian God cards, which is something that you, apart from thousands of other duelists, have been _dying _to get their hands on … I'd say that is enough of a reason won't you?"

Kaiba stood silent for a few moments, almost as if he were waiting for her to continue, and when she didn't, he merely rolled his eyes and said: "Oh please. I got over losing to Yugi years ago and, as for the god cards…" He paused. "What would I, the world champion, need those petty playing cards for when I can beat all the imprudent want-to-be's out there that have the audacity to call themselves duelists with my _eyes_ closed?"

"Say what you may Mr. Kaiba, but that still won't change my opinion of you. For a leopard can never change his spots, but then again, a snake can change his skin whenever he so pleases, but he will still be a lowly reptile." With that, Gypsy sat back abruptly in her seat and fell silent.

Seto Kaiba sat down at his desk and stared at his computer screen. Occasionally he would look as if he were about to say something, but his lips would freeze in the midst of framing the first letter of the first word he had planned to speak. After about half an hour with no word from either, he punched the intercom and called Roland to arrange a ride for her back to the Domino Daily.

Gypsy sat silently fuming all the way back to the office. The nerve of that creep! Write a retraction! She would rather lock herself in a cage with a hungry Lion.

She stayed away from the mini-bar; alcohol was the _last_ thing she needed in her blood stream at this hour of the morning. Besides, she did not need to give Kaiba the satisfaction of knowing he had rattled her, even though the kind of money he had invested in the stock in the limo was probably worth more than she would ever be able to afford.

Once the limo had dropped her off in front of the Domino Daily, she crossed the street, from outside the front, double-doors that lead into her apartment building, quickly dialed her supervisor, and left a message with the secretary that she was calling in sick for the rest of the day. The entire office from top to bottom was probably buzzing and waiting for her return. Seto Kaiba was a celebrity in this town and named most eligible bachelor to ever step foot in Domino. She could picture it now, all the women swooning over pictures and the men turning green.

She went inside the apartment building, and climbed up to her floor and opened the door to her unit, pausing as she leaned against the doorframe and surveyed the room's interior. The basket of laundry she had brought clean from the Laundromat over a week ago was about a foot from the door, its contents nearly empty. Next to it was a week's worth of dirty clothes in a pile.

Tulsi her mongrel male cat, with orange fur and green eyes, was curled up on the unmade bed. Dishes were soaking down in the sink, books and papers were all over the floor, her desk was a mess, and in short, the entire place needed a good cleaning.

Oh Yeah, and she needed to work off the accumulating anger and dark thoughts that had been clouding her thoughts ever since she left the CEO's office.

She was distracted from her frustrating contemplations by her cell phone, diving into her tote pocket; she took it out and flipped it open without even checking to see whom it was. "Hello?"

"Gabriella?" It was her editor, which surprised her considering she had been expecting to hear back from her supervisor. "Ed here…had a talk with your supervisor and we've agreed that you should take the week off on sympathy leave; after the last 24 hours, you deserve the break. That is, unless you still want to cover the Museum's opening of that new exhibit opening Saturday. Other than that you don't have any other pending articles and your regular work can be done by someone else."

Not do the exhibit? She had practically gone down on her hands and knees and begged her supervisor to cover the story, "Thank you Ed, but I've been looking forward to doing the exhibit for a while and The Organizers really needs the publicity. Apart from that though, you can assign my other work to someone else. I will fax over the report on the exhibit sometime tomorrow - I plan to head over there this afternoon. I know the person in charge and I'm sure they'd be more then happy to give me the preliminary details."

"Alright. You're choice," he said and hung up. The poor fan girls over in the office were in for a wait. She hoped that by Monday, they would have found something else to gossip about.

She changed into her sloppiest clothes and began cleaning. Tulsi supervised.

That afternoon, she had a quick shower and dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a blue cotton shirt. Slipping a pair of sandals on her feet, she picked up her tote and headed over the museum.

The laundry could wait until later; besides, the Laundromat on the next block was open until 10 o'clock most days.

* * *

A/N: Tulsi was my cat. He passed away a while ago.

This fiction is based off of the story I wrote for CXC exam in which I got a distinction the highest possible grade.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Gypsy curiously glanced around the busy museum, grinning once she spotted the person she had been searching for; she was organizing the hanging of a painting on the eastern wall.

"A little more to the left - no right…a little higher. _Good_," said Ishizu to her elder brother Odeon, who had taken the liberty of hanging the painting on the wall for her.

"I think it's still a bit lopsided…_maybe_ you ought to get an eye test," Gypsy teased from behind Ishizu.

Ishizu spun around, blue eyes wide as she cried, "Just who - oh…Gabriella! Why you dirty, little _scamp_."

"Who else were you expecting? I thought I wouldn't find you here; how come you're not with Yami over at the game shop?"

Ishizu's eyes clouded as she folded her hands in front of her and turned her head away. "We…Yami and I…we broke up earlier this week."

"Oh Ishizu! I'm so sorry. I…I didn't know."

Her Egyptian friend smiled wanly. "It's ok."

Gypsy grinned. "Unfortunately, assisting you with the hanging of paintings was _not _the real reason I came here…" She paused for a moment, her grin widening, "Because, unless you've forgotten, you promised me an exclusive on your upcoming exhibition."

"Oh yes, yes. I remember. Let's go in my office," replied Ishizu.

A short while later, once her notebook was filled with scribbles, Gypsy left Ishizu to go back to her office, heading down to the basement where Marik office, was located.

The air down in the basement was much cooler then it was above ground, most likely because it stored the many museum pieces that were not currently being displayed.

Gypsy carefully navigated her way around various scattered objects in the dim glare cast by a series of florescent lights that flickered overhead.

At the back of the room, half hidden by numerous piles of junk, there was a small entrance to Marik's office. She paused outside of the door as soft, muffled exclamations sounded from within. Furtively glancing either way, the news reporter pressed her ear gently against the door's smooth, wooden surface.

"I don't know Malik…I know Kaiba and Yugi have a lot of history together, but…I some how doubt he'd kill him in cold blood," said a voice Gypsy recognized as Marik's

"I wonder what Yugi had wanted to talk to us about; perhaps if we had skipped out on the job and headed over there, we might have caught him while he was still alive," replied Yami Malik.

"Or…by interfering, we all might have been killed ourselves. Also…I'm afraid that this conversation is no longer private." The third voice paused for a moment, sighing as it said: "I think you'd hear us a lot better if you came _into _the room, Gypsy."

Gypsy muffled a soft "eep" that had forced its way up from her throat, and slowly walked into the dark office, casting a mock glare of ferocity at the owner of the voice: Yami Bakura. "How'd you know I was there, Y.B.?" she said addressing him by his nickname.

"Intuition," he replied casually, running a hand through his short spiky hair. Unlike his twin, Ryou, who let his locks grow, Y.B cut his hair into a short spiky style that he truly felt suited him. He also wore an eye patch over his right eye, a long scar running underneath the hidden area. One who didn't know him would most certainly believe that the albino had one eye…

Gypsy looked at the three of them, one after the other.

Marik sat on a swivel chair in front of a computer terminal, a pair of black rimmed spectacles perched high on the bridge of his nose. His twin Yami Malik, or Y.M, was sprawled out on a couch in the corner of the room. Yami Bakura was leaning casually on the computer desk.

"Now, did my ears deceived me, or were you three supposed to meet Yugi on that fateful day as well?"

Bakura cast an unreadable look at his companions, looking away at nothing in particular as he said: "We'd better tell her…she'd only find some sneaky way to drag it out of us later." He then glanced back at her, crimson eye hardening as he said: "Mind you, not a word of this is to be repeated to Ryou."

"Does it even matter? There's nothing to say," stated Y.M.

"Nothing except that we were to supposed to meet Yugi on the day of his death and never did," said his brother, the milder twin.

"Then why worry about it?"

"Why _not_ worry about it Gypsy?" asked Bakura. "I mean Yugi was _killed._ We might have been too."

"I'd suggest you three not worry about it. Just don't let anyone, namely Kaiba's _lawyers_, find out that you three were supposed to have been there and you'll be fine."

"So you won't tell anyone Gypsy?" asked Marik, raising a curious, golden brow as he eyed her with expectant, violet eyes.

She rolled her own eyes dramatically. "No, you idiot, I won't. I'd better go though…still got some work that I need to take care of. I'll see you guys at the post-cocktail party. I'd better write up a damn-good article; Ishizu needs all the publicity she can get for this exhibit…" She paused for a moment, making eye contact with Marik. "When did she and Yami breakup?"

"The day before Yugi was killed. Why do you ask?" was his inquisitive reply.

"Merely curiosity," she replied as she pivoted on her heels and headed towards the door. "Later guys."

"Wait up a bit Gyp. I have to head to work , I can give you a ride on my _new _bike," said Y.B.

"Tch…show-off," muttered Malik from his sprawled position on the couch.

Bakura cast him a sly grin as he opened the door for Gypsy.

She gave him a weird look. "Quite the gentleman."

Bakura snorted as he closed the door behind them. "Tell me something I don't know."

* * *

A/N: If you haven't already, go and check out my original stories on Fiction Press and if you have go and read Liz Inc's "Life, Or Something Like It." But if Original stories aren't to your taste you can read "Why?" on FF.N also by Liz Inc. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

It was Friday afternoon. The sky was overcast, and ground with sodden moisture. Gypsy sadly looked back over the last few days. The piece she had done on the Museum's new exhibit and fundraising after-party, which was scheduled for Saturday Night, had appeared the day before in the newspapera success.

She had spent Wednesday morning, writing and rewriting the article, unable to concentrate. It was a miracle she had been able to finish, before, deadline time and e-mail it over to the office.

Gypsy had called Ishizu this morning and she had reported an increase of ticket sales for the eventafter thestory had appeared in the paper. Gypsy attributed it to last minute hike, Ishizu refused to hear it.

Although she and the rest of the gang had to try and make an appearance, she doubted anyone really wanted to go. The Moutos were well-liked by everyone, and Yugi's death nuked any desire that the group may have had to celebrate. Ishizu had suggested postponing the opening to later date, but Odeon reminded her that a lot of investors were flying in from various parts of the world, and attempting to contact them all would most likely prove to be difficult and inconvenient task.

Gypsy gave herself a mental shake and went to stand with the others as the ceremony began **1**. The reverend's solemn words echoed softly across the lonely church yard, over the endless sea of headstones his tone low and his face expressionless.

Glancing around at the somber crowd, all dressed, as she was, in white or in various dark shades around her.

Gypsy recognized a few familiar faces, including Tea, Serenity, Rebecca, Yami, Tristan, Joey, Rouy, Duke, and the Ishtar siblings. Joey's ex-wife Mai Valentine was somewhere in Paris, and, although she had been unable to come, she still sent her deepest regrets.

She knewthat Yami Bakura was, most likely standingsomewhere where the others couldn't see him the 'distance' between him and Rouy still too strong to try andbreech.

They were many others as well, all of whom Yugi had touched in someway. In her minds eye, she saw Yugi back in his college days, laughing happily with his friends.

Then, behind the counter in the shop which he had taken over when his grandfather had died.

As the casket was lowered, the rain began to fall. Gypsy handed the umbrella she had been carryingto Serenity, so that she could shelter herself and Tea. Gypsy then tilted her face to the sky as the rain drops intermingled with her sad, and angry, tears.

Clods of dirt were thrown on top of the casket, and the large Wooden Casket was buried. That's when she felt it, _his _presence. She slowly turned to look at Seto Kaiba,who was standing over towards the edge of the grounds, a large black umbrella held over him by a servant. They made eye contactbriefly, before he turned and walked to the awaiting Kaiba Corp. Limo, but, although the connection had been short, Gypsy saw something there, in his deep pools of icy-blue, that she had _never_ expected to see…

Sadness.

* * *

A/N: **1** since it is never mentioned any of the characters religion and at the time of writing I have no idea what a Shinto or Buddhist (the main religions in Japan) funerals are like, I'll go with the third main religion in Japan, Christianity.

Question: Have you ever had a situation happen when you just KNOW someone is there?

LOL

I know this was short. Only 500 and something words. It's the shortest chapter in the whole story.

Loved it , hated it, scroll down to that little button ya you know the one, just one click and the magic review window opens.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Gypsy, dressed casually in a short black dress with white trimmings and gold jewelry, drifted among the guests. The new exhibit had been a huge success.

The after-party was hosted in the main hall of the museum and was decorated sumptuously for the occasion. The room itself was decorated with glittery streamers and beautiful crystal chandeliers glittered overhead. The band was playing a soft tune in the background; it was evident that dancing would come later in the evening.

A lot of people queried about her piece on Yugi's death and Seto's arrest. Gypsy replied with the words "no Comment" accompanied by a smile. The price of fame, she though bitterly.

Standing next to a striking painting of the sphinx was Joey, Serenity, Yami and Tristan. Joey, Yami and Tristan, like all the other males in the room, wore tuxedos. Serenity was immaculately dressed in a sleeveless, v-necked burgundy gown.

"Hey guys." Gypsy said as she approached them.

"Hey ya Gyp." Joey replied in a flat tone.

"Didn't think you guys would show," Gypsy replied, ignoring Joey's unenthusiastic greeting.

"I didn't think we would either. Tristan and I had to literally _beg_ this lout to come," Serenity said.

Joey scowled, and muttered in a rather grouchy tone, "Hey, I came didn't I?"

"Aw, cheer up Joey. I'm sure all of us would rather be moping about at home then here enjoying ourselves," said Tristan.

"Speaking of moping…how's Tea?" asked Serenity turning to Yami.

Yami shook his head. "She's…till in a bit of shock."

Just then, Gypsy remembered something that was bound to cheer up the sad group: "Hey, guess what I found while I was cleaning up my room the other day?"

"A lost civilization?" Joey joked.

Gypsy rolled her eyes. "No, bundles of my old college scrap books. There are loads of pictures of everyone. Even the one with Seto Kaiba covered in the green slime that Joey rigged up to fall on him."

"Hey, that was never proven in a court of law," Joey stated in his lawyer tone.

Gypsy chuckled. "I even have one with Yugi and Yami standing side by side. I bet that it's just the only pictures with the two of them, isn't it Yami?"

Gypsy glanced over at Yami; just in time to catch a glimpse of retreating panic disappear from his face.

"Yes, yes it is." He paused for a brief moment before smiling and saying: "You know, I just remembered that I have to drop by the pharmacy for something. You guys don't mind if I cut out early do you?" His smile broadened.

Serenity patted him gently on the shoulder. "No problem Yami. We're happy you came."

And with that, Yami departed.

"I hope Tea will be ok," Gypsy said.

Joey shook his head. "Eh, she's got nothing to worry about, with that 5 million dollar insurance policy Yugi took out a year ago in case anything happened to him."

"5 million Dollars!" Exclaimed Tristan. "How did you know?"

Joey grinned sheepishly. "I helped him draw up his will at about the same time. I had promised not to tell anyone, but…I guess it's a little late for that."

Serenity wrinkled her nose and lowered her brows. "But 5 million? Where did he get the collateral to back upso much cash?"

"Why, the god cards of course. They are worth a lot, you know," Joey replied. "Anyway, the reading of the will's going to take place tomorrow, so everyone will find out eventually."

"Good evening, everyone, sorry I couldn't come and join you earlier. I was a bit tied up."

Everyone turned their head just in time to see Ishizu come gliding towards them in a set of elegant, beige robes.

"Good work on the exhibit Ishizu. Has anyone pledged yet?" said Serenity.

The dark-haired Egyptian nodded modestly, a smile gracing her delicate features. "Yes more than I'd expected."

Gypsy only half-listened to the remainder of the conversation that involved small talk about the exhibit's highlights.

Eventually, the conversation in the room came to a lull and the band struck up a lively tune.

"Care to dance?" Tristan asked Serenity. Serenity agreed and a voluptuous red head came up and carried away Joey.

"You ok Gypsy?" asked Ishizu. "You haven't said much."

She nodded solemnly. "Sorry Ishizu I'm just a bit tired, I haven't been sleeping well."

Ishizu nodded as well. "Okay. I'm off to see some potential donors. Will you be all right by yourself?"

"Yeah you go off; I'm going to go have a drink at the bar," Gypsy replied, shooing her away with her hands.

Gypsy went over to the bar and ordered a light wine. "How come a pretty girl like you isn't out on the dance floor with the rest of them?"

Gypsy turned towards the speaker.

She had to admit, even dressed in the standard black tuxedo, Kaiba still managed to stand out in the crowd.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven 

"Flattery will get you no where, Mr. Kaiba," replied Gypsy, taking a sip from her glass.

"Oh? I was hoping it would at least get me a dance."

"Well, I'm afraid that you're highly mistaken. Even if, I did want to dance, which I don't, I wouldn't dance with you."

"Now, now, Miss Ineudo, you wouldn't want to make me angry, would you? After all, I am one of the potential investors this evening. You wouldn't want to make things…uncomfortable for your friends, the Ishtars, would you?"

Gypsy shot him an inquisitive glare. "Is that a threat Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba smirked. "No, just a suggestion."

Gypsy regarded the CEO warily for a few more moments before rolling her eyes and sighing. "Fine; I'll have one, just _one_, dance with you. But only if you promise to _kindly_ leave me alone for the rest of my life."

"One dance isn't worth that much, Miss. Ineudo. The rest of the evening perhaps, but..." The look she gave him made him pause to reconsider his words. "I'll think about it."

Gypsy downed the contents of the glass and set it onto the bar counter. She then allowed Seto to lead her to the floor.

The band began to play a semi-slow waltz. At the corner of her eye, she spotted Serenity and Tristan dancing closely near the center of the room.

Finding a spot on the dance floor, Kaiba put one arm around Gypsy's waist and clasped her hand with the other. Gypsy placed her free hand on his shoulder and they began to dance.

"It is only fair to warn you, I have two left feet, so if your toes happen to trod upon, it's your doom," said Gypsy.

Kaiba smirked and pulled her closer, too close for her comfort. She looked around the room for Joey, surly he'd come over to rescue her from this predicament. But no, Joey was in the clutches of the voluptuous red head.

Gypsy closed her eyes; she could feel the wine going to her head. She hadn't been eating well as of late and had hardly had any sleep the past week.

Kaiba body was warm, and his touch firm; conflicting emotions arose in her chest and her heart began to beat wildly.

'You are dancing with your friend's killer!' her brain screamed. Gypsy felt dizzy.

"Excuse me, I…I think I need some fresh air." Gypsy babbled before breaking away from Kaiba and running for the nearest balcony exit.

She stayed there for a while, trembling.

"Gypsy, you ok?" It was Joey. "I saw you run out here, what is the matter?"

"God, I just keep thinking any moment now I'll wake up and this will be all a dream," replied Gypsy. "This week just feels so unreal to me."

"I know what you mean," said Joey, patting her gently on the shoulder.

Someone else stepped onto the balcony.

Joey snarled at them. "Why don't you just leave us alone? Haven't you caused us all enough pain already?"

Even before Joey spoke those words she knew Kaiba had followed her out here.

"Here, drink this; you'll feel a bit better," said Kaiba handing her a glass of brandy.

"No, no more alcohol tonight," Gypsy told him without turning. "My brain's in a big enough fuddle already. Joey if you'd be a dear and call a taxi for me, I'd be eternally grateful."

"I could have my Limo drop you home, Gabriella," offered Kaiba.

"No, don't bother," said Gypsy in a harsh tone. "I'll be fine." She said walking off of the balcony.

Later, Gypsy, alone in her apartment with Tulsi on her lap, sat, silently sobbing.

When she woke up the next morning she was still in her evening dress and Tulsi was washing himself at the foot side of the bed.

She got up and dragged herself to the bathroom. It was time to return to life as quickly as possible.

* * *

A/N: Yeah yeah I know this story seems to be getting no where, but I promise loads of action next chapter. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve 

Monday morning, bright and early, at about 08:30 hrs, Gypsy was awake, fully dressed, and standing anxiously outside of her editor's door. She paused and spent about half a minute deliberating whether or not she should go ahead with her plan.

The previous day had been spent in deep thought, and she had finally come to a decision. One which she was about to act on now.

She rapped on the door.

"Come in." called out Ed.

Gypsy stepped in through the door way and went to stand in front of the man's desk.

"Ah Ineudo, have a seat."

"I'll be ok standing Ed, I just came here to give you this," she said, handing him an envelope.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"It's a formal letter of resignation. I have exactly 3 months, paid vacation time stored up, which, if I'm not mistaken, is the required notice period."

He stared at her blankly. "What? Resign? Why? You're currently our top reporter!"

Gypsy sighed. "5 years ago, when I took this job, I never expected to make it this far in such a short time, and I think I should quit now while I'm ahead. The events of the past few days have made me look at my priorities and I would really like to stop putting off my novel writing desires and give my ideas a go."

Ed was silent for a moment before he replied in somewhat of a grave tone: "Well, I'll be one of your first buyers. And if and when you ever wish to return, just know that there will always be a place for you here at the Domino Daily."

"Thank you Ed. And I'll try to vacate the apartment as soon as possible."

He shook his head and waved a hand across his face. "Ah, there's no need for that, Miss Ineudo. There more than enough apartments available for future employees, so you need not move until your three months are up."

"Thank you Ed."

She left Ed's office and went down to the building and whipped out her c-phone. The next thing on the agenda was to call Joey.

"Hey Joey, its Gyp. What's up?"

"Hi, I was about to call."

"Yeah right, are you free for lunch?"

"No, but I am free for a brunch say around 10:30. I need to talk with you in person," replied Joey.

"That's funny. I have some big news myself."

"Meet me at the diner opposite my office building; we can both grab a bite to eat."

"Fine, see you then."

Gypsy spent the rest of the morning going around the office and saying her farewells, being sure to get a head start on clearing out her desk.

The Domino Court house and Sam's Diner, at a normal pace, was about a 15 minutes walk from The Domino Daily. Gypsy covered the distance in 12. Both she and Joey dined here often. It was decorated in a festive nautical theme, and the food was good and greasy.

She sat in a corner booth and waited for Joey. At this time, the breakfast rush was over and the lunch rush wouldn't start until around 11:30, so they weren't many people in the diner. She didn't have to wait long. Joey came in dressed in a dark business suit. Gypsy noticed that he had a peculiar look on his face. Spotting her wave, he came over and slid into the seat opposite her, so they were sitting facing each other.

The waitress came over; they were both regulars and knew the menu by heart. Joey ordered a coffee, a hamburger, and fries. Gypsy ordered a jelly donut, a scone and a glass of juice.

While they were waiting, Joey spoke first. "I can't believe that it has been a week already."

Gypsy nodded in agreement. "Me neither. So tell me, what's the big news that couldn't wait till midday?"

"Oh, uh, I got assigned to be prosecutor at Kaiba's Trail; they said I'd be perfect as I have ties to both the victim and the accused."

"Damm," whispered Gypsy.

"Yeah, I think its Kaiba and his lawyers doing, to keep a more experienced prosecutor from coming up against them."

"There is no way they can win. Tea walked in the room after she heard the shot, right?"

"Right."

"And I ran up shortly after. We both saw him standing over the body."

"They say they can't find any prints on the gun, and he hadn't any gun powder residue on his hands, so…" He left his sentence hanging.

The waitress placed their orders in front of them and queried if they wanted anything else. They both said no and she moved on to other tables.

"Double Damn," swore Gypsy softly.

"Uh-huh."

"But my article was in the paper the very next day; everyone on the Jury must have read it. Hmmm. Then I remember once there was a murder case that was called for acquittal because too many negative things had been leaking into the media and the defense said it had the potential to poison the juries' mind."

"Do you think Kaiba will try that move?"

Gypsy shrugged, pausing to take a sip from her juice. "I don't know. But even if he does, I can guarantee you that it won't work. The last guy who pulled that, his case was dismissed and got imprisonment for life."

Joey chuckled nervously. "I'm worried that I won't be able to pin anything on him."

"When is the hearing?"

"It got moved up to this Friday."

"Don't worry," Gypsy assured him, reaching out to pat him on the hand. "You'll do fine."

"I sure hope so. Not because this is my first bid case, but because I want to see that bastard behind bars."

"Yeah, well…he keeps saying that he didn't do it. And last Tuesday, he even went as far as calling me up to his mansion to request that I write him a retraction."

"He did? Why didn't you tell me?" the blonde hissed, brown eyes wide. "You don't believe him…do you Gypsy?"

"Wait a minute. Before you freak out, let me say this: it didn't matter what he said. I told him no. As for _believing_ him…" Gypsy paused and let out a big sigh. "I don't know what to believe any more."

"Didn't you say you had some news as well?"

Gypsy stared at him for a moment before widening her brown eyes in recollection. "Oh yeah. I did."

"So…what is it?"

"I quit my job."

"YOU WHAT?!" exclaimed Joey, dropped the fry he had been holding up to his mouth.

Some people in the diner shot him weird looks.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen 

"I quit my Job so that I would have more time to concentrate on becoming a full-time novelist," said Gypsy, smiling apologetically at those that still stared.

Joey laughed. "Well, congrats. For a minute I though it was because Kaiba had scared you off."

"Yeah right, like he could ever do that," Gypsy muttered, biting into her donut.

Joey picked up his fork and the two ate in silence.

After they were finished, they leaned comfortably against the back of their seats, sipping their respective beverages.

"So..." Joey piped up, breaking the silence. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I know the tenant you have living in the studio apartment in your basement is going to graduate and move out soon…" Gypsy smiled sweetly.

Joey grinned. "Say no more, my dear. Serenity and I would be honored to have you as our new tenant. I'm not too wild about Tulsi, though. I mean, it's like he's got it in for me or something. Loves Serenity, but me…" He slowly shook his head. "I just don't get that damn fiend."

Gypsy smiled. "Cause he's a ladies man. Anyway, apart from finishing clearing out my desk, I'll have a lot of free time this week, so if you need any help preparing, I'd be glad to help."

"Thanks Gypsy."

"No problem Joe."

After a night of twisting and turning, Gypsy awoke to a Friday morning similar to the Friday morning of the previous week. It was overcast with clouds threatening to split open like a paper bad any moment and dump its' contents on the earth below.

She went through her morning routine slowly; she had spent most of the week in as an assistant to Joey, helping him wade through old case files and going over the evidence in an effort to build up a strong case against Kaiba.

She dressed in a powder blue linen suit, consisting of a jacket, skirt, and blouse of the same shade. And put on her black sandals with just a hint of a heel. She then did up her hair in a bun.

Today was the first time she ever had to appear on the whiteness stand, and she wasn't looking forward to it.

She had arrived early and waited on the court room steps for Joey, the trail was scheduled to start at 10:00hrs. As she waited, she saw Yami drive up with Tea in a black sports car. The car, Gypsy noted, was a black sports car, built entirely for speed.

She had been so engrossed in her observation that she didn't notice Joey, dressed in a snazzy black suit, climbing up the steps till he was right in front of her.

"I see Yami has a new car," she said to Joey, now observing Yami helping his former sister-in-law out of the car. Tea was dressed entirely in black

"Yeah, it arrived sometime last week. Yami had it ordered for months now," he replied.

"Wonder where he got the collateral for it."

"Took out a loan, and put up his share of the business as backing."

"Oh."

"Come on, let's get inside and prepare."

"Spoil Sport, I'm going to get me one of those when I make my millions writing."

"Great you can lend me on Friday night."

"Oh yeah, what makes you think that," she replied, looking at Joey with raised eye brows."

"You have no social life," he replied heading inside.

"HEY!" Gypsy exclaimed jogging to keep up with him.

X x X

"So let me get this straight: you heard the shot coming from your husband's room, and you entered. What did you see upon entering?" Joey questioned Tea.

Tea was the third witness for the morning, before her had proceeded Lieutenant Smith, and the local Coroner.

Gypsy was sitting in the row just behind the state prosecutor desk. Tea made a powerful impression in her black mourning gown, graced by pearl buttons.

Tea sniffled. "I saw a man standing over my husband's body. There was blood on the floor, and Yugi looked as if he had been shot."

"Who was the man standing over Yugi's body, Mrs. Moto?" Joey inquired gently, standing as close as he could to the witness stand.

"It was him," Tea hissed, eyes narrowing as she pointed at the tall brunette that was sitting next to his lawyer at the defendant desk. "It was _Seto Kaiba_." She spat out his name as if it where poison on her tongue.

"Let the records show that the witness has identified and named the defendant Seto Kaiba, as the man standing in the deceased's room after the shot was fired," Joey stated professionally.

There was a babble of voices in the court room and Judge Flinch **1 **pounded his gravel. "Order in the court! Order I say, or I'll have you all expelled!"

"No further questions, your honor," the blonde stated with a curt nod in the Judge's direction, he the proceeded to the prosecutor's table to take his seat.

"Defense?"

Kaiba lawyer was a man in his late 50's, sporting a charcoal suit and stern expression. Gypsy had never seen him in person before, but she knew his reputation. Ben Watson **2** was his name; he was the greatest lawyer in Europe. Kaiba must have had him flown in specially. Word had it that the man had never lost a case…

_Ever_.

Watson got up and began to pace the room. "Mrs. Moto …Tea. May I call you Tea?" Tea nodded stiffly, so he nodded and continued. "You say you entered the room after you heard the shot. Is that right?"

"Yes." Tea replied somewhat sullenly.

"So you saw my client pulling the trigger of the gun that killed your husband."

"No."

"So you can't say for sure that it was Seto Kaiba that killed your husband. It could have been someone else that pulled that trigger."

The crowd began to chatter again. "Either this court will come to order or every last one of you will spend the night in jail," the Judge spat calmly. The court hushed.

"No, but I just_ know_ it was him. Seto Kaiba has had it in for all of us ever since High School."

Mr. Watson narrowed his eyes at the girl before directing them up towards the Judge. "Pure speculation, your honor, I motion to strike the witness's last words be struck from the record."

"Objection Your honor!" Joey exclaimed rising from his seat. "It's true!"

"Sit down Mr. Wheeler. Motion to strike granted on grounds of being speculative."

"No more questions your Honor," Watson said taking his seat.

"The witness may step down," Judge Flinch said.

Tea stepped down and returned to her Yami, who was seated in the row behind Gypsy.

"Has the defense produced any last minute witnesses?" Judge Flinch asked.

"Not at this time your honor." Replied Mr. Watson

Joey stood up and cleared his throat. "The state prosecution calls Gabriella Ineudo, reporter of the Domino Daily, also known as 'Gypsy,' to the stand."

Gypsy got up slowly. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to Joey as she passed him by.

* * *

A/N:

**1** Judge Flinch – Named for Atticus Flinch from the novel 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', note that this character IS NOT Harper Lee's Atticus Flinch but is just named for him.

**2** Ben Watson – a blending of the names Ben Matlock, the greatest fictional lawyer and Watson, Sherlock Homes assistant and narrator in all his cases.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen 

"Miss Ineudo. Would you kindly tell the court your whereabouts on Monday afternoon around 13:00hrs, the day that the victim Yugi Moto was killed," Joey requested.

"I had left the office and decided to drop in by the Moto's Game Shop. I entered through the shop's main entrance. The door was unlocked, but no one was manning the front register. That's when I heard a scream, so I ran to the upstairs apartment. When I got there and entered the victim's room…" Gypsy paused and took a deep breath.

"Yes." Joey prompted.

"I entered Yugi's room; Tea was there, hysterically screaming that 'he' had shot Yugi. I looked in the direction she was pointing to, and saw Seto Kaiba standing over Yugi's body. There was a gun on the floor between Kaiba and the body. I then walked over towards the body and checked for a pulse…there was none."

"After that?" Joey questioned.

"I took out my cell phone and blindly hit speed dial number 4, Joey Wheeler's number, and asked him to bring over the Police."

"Are you positive that it was Seto Kaiba standing in the room?" Joey asked.

"Positive."

"No further questions, Your Honour," said Joey, sitting down.

"Has the defense anything to ask of the witness," the Judge asked, eyes scanning the room.

"Yes, Your Honour," said Mr. Watson, raising from his seat. He walked over and stood in close proximity with the Jury.

"Miss. Ineudo, after you knew Yugi was dead, why didn't you call the police right away?"

"Mr. Watson, I just walked in on the dead body of one of my best friends, I was in shock. People do strange things when they are in shock."

"You have known both the deceased Yugi Moto and my client Seto Kaiba for approximately the same amount of time, am I correct?" Mr. Watson queried.

"Yes, I knew them both since college." Gypsy replied, risking a glance at Joey who was frowning.

"What would you say the relationship was between the deceased and my client?"

"Yugi viewed Seto Kaiba as a friend; Seto Kaiba on the other hand, viewed Yugi as a rival, nothing more."

"What of the relationship between the deceased spouse Tea Gardner-Moto?"

Now Gypsy saw where the line of questioning was going, she looked at Mr. Watson directly in the eyes and replied, "Although the interaction between Ms. Moto and Mr. Kaiba was minimal, she also viewed Seto Kaiba as a friend."

"And what would you say was the relationship between Mr. Yugi Moto and his wife?"

"Yugi and Tea loved each other; they would never do anything to harm each other," spat Gypsy with unconcealed anger. "Yugi Moto was also well-liked by everyone that met him. The only person that has ever shown any sort of enmity towards Yugi is your client, Mr. Seto Kaiba."

Mr. Watson was however unfazed by her slight outburst.

Gypsy looked at Seto Kaiba's whose features had hardened into an unreadable mask.

"Your Honor, the defense requests a few hours recess to confer with the client," Mr. Watson requested with out as so much as a blink.

"Permission granted, court will reconvene in three hours time," said Judge Flinch pounding his gravel.

Gypsy and Joey sat in an empty conference room; sandwiches ordered from Sam's lay unopened in front of them. Yami and Tea had gone out to lunch.

"I wonder what Watson will try to pull now," said Gypsy out loud.

"Well, the motive has been established. Add this to the fact that Kaiba was in the room about the same time the coroner established Yugi's time of death, and, well…I'd say we have ourselves a murderer." Joey replied.

"Yeah, but the gun powder…" Gypsy began, her voice fading off.

Joey waved his hand, "Negligible. Everyone is in a hurry to wrap this up. Coupled this with the fact that half the world has a grudge against Kaiba, and, like I said before, he is as good as behind bars."

"I think Watson will put him on the stand. He has no other choice, and if he does, ask Kaiba why he requested a retraction."

"What good will it do?"

"Reasonable doubt Joey, reasonable doubt. That's all that has to be planted in the Juries mind."

"You should have done law, being a writer is wasted on ya."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen 

"So, you are positive that the gun powder on my client's hand did not match the gun powder from the murder weapon?" Watson asked.

"Correct. Though further investigation, it was revealed that the gun residue on the defendant's hands were actually secondary transfer. You see, from the squad car, Mr. Kaiba had been escorted into the station from the scene of the crime. The powder had originated from the car's previous occupant: a young man arrested for participating in a shoot out," Lt. Smith replied.

"Nothing further."

"Does the state wish to cross examine, Mr. Wheeler?" asked the Judge.

"No, Your Honour," Joey replied.

"Very well, Lt. Smith, you may step down."

Gypsy had to admit, it was pretty lucky for Kaiba that Watson, had managed to secure the test results of the gun powder analysis on Kaiba's hands during the recess period.

"The defense calls Seto Kaiba to the stand."

_That move, on the other hand, might not prove to be as lucky as I thought it would_, pondered Gypsy as she caught the look on Joey's face as Seto was sworn in.

"Mr. Kaiba, would you kindly tell the court why you were at the scene if Yugi's Moto's murder." Watson asked.

"Yugi was thinking of selling his share of the business, so he came to me for some financial advice," Kaiba said, his voice firm and unwavering.

Gypsy was surprised to hear the CEO refer to Yugi by his first name.

"So you went to his residence."

"Yes."

"What happened there?"

"I went through the back entrance, and I heard Yugi calling, asking if it was me, and I, in turn, said yes. He then told me to come on up. As I started up the stairs I heard him cry out, followed by the report of a gun. When I got there, Yugi was dead. His wife, Tea, came in and made a fuss. Miss. Ineudo came in a few moments later, followed by Yami Moto."

The silence was so loud that she could hear the traffic from outside the courthouse.

"Does the state wish to cross examine?" Judge Flinch asked, breaking the sudden stillness.

"Yes, Your Honor," Joey said, rising to his feet.

"Mr. Kaiba. As Miss. Ineudo and Mrs. Moto have already established, you and the deceased knew each outer well…is this correct?" Joey asked from two feet away from the witness stand.

"Yes." Kaiba replied.

"But you were never close friends."

"No."

"Then why did you go to see the deceased that day?"

"I told you, he was thinking of selling his half of the business and asked me for advice."

"Then why weren't his wife and brother informed of this decision?"

"I don't know."

"Is that all you went to see him about?"

"No."

"Oh? What else then."

Kaiba sighed wearily. "Along with his share of the shop, Yugi also wanted to sell the card deck he used to play with when he held the title of 'King of Games'. This included the ever-popular God cards."

"WHAT?! Yugi would never do that!" Joey exclaimed, face contorted and eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Wheeler, control yourself," the Judge snapped, flashing him a stern glare.

"Pardon me, Your Honor," Joey whispered, bringing a fist to his mouth and softly clearing his throat.

"Continue on then," Judge Flinch stated with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, of course." He paused. "Are you certain that Yugi wanted to sell his cards, Mr. Kaiba, even though he hasn't played since the death of his grandfather, a few years prior? It is said that Yugi Moto was very much attached to his cards."

"I am certain."

"Are you certain you aren't making this up?"

"_Objection_, Your Honor! Prosecution is badgering the witness!" Mr. Watson snapped, rising slightly from his seat.

"Mr. Wheeler…" The Judge stated in a warning tone.

"I apologize, your Honor."

"Continue on then. But if I need to so much as give you a warning _look_, I'll throw you into jail for the night on a charge of contempt," Judge Flinch stated sternly.

Joey took in a deep breath and nodded, continuing on as if nothing had happened, "Mr. Kaiba, if you were so certain of your innocence, why did you contact Miss. Gabriella Ineudo, reporter of the Domino Daily, to print a retraction of her article placing you at the scene of the crime?"

Kaiba looked slightly taken aback by this question, but regained his composure quickly.

"It was slander and bad for my business and reputation."

"The Prosecution rests, Your Honor."

"Defense?" queried the Judge.

"Nothing more, Your Honor."

"Very well. You may step down now," Judge Flinch said to Kaiba.

The Jury only took half an hour to come to a decision.

When they had all resettled into their seats in the Jury Box, the foreman stood up, as well as Joey, Watson, and Kaiba.

"Has the Jury reached a verdict?" asked Judge Flinch.

"We have, Your Honor. We, the members of the Jury, find the defendant, Seto Kaiba, on the charge of first degree murder…guilty."

Joey looked stunned. "But the evidence…"

Gypsy barely heard him. She was too busy gaping at Seto Kaiba, who had his head downcast as he was cuffed and led away by a couple of officers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen 

As Gypsy and Joey exited the courtroom, a handful of his fellow lawyers came up to congratulate him. They both politely waved off all offers of getting together to celebrate later that weekend and proceeded to exit the building.

"Come on. I'll walk you back to your apartment," Joey said. Gypsy merely nodded. She was too shocked to really say anything at the moment.

They walked in silence until they reached the half-way point.

"You don't think he did it do you?" Gypsy whispered, half as a question, half as a statement. She didn't look at him as she spoke. She just stared straight ahead, arms crossed and eyes unblinking.

"No, I don't know why, but somehow something just doesn't add up. On the other hand, Seto Kaiba is a lying, cheating, and narcissistic bastard, so it's really hard to tell. He does have a shot at an appeal, though."

"Maybe," Gypsy mumbled in response, mind still elsewhere. "Maybe."

Gypsy gasped as she surveyed her apartment. Some body had, quite literally, torn the place apart. Everything from her furniture to food was in a state of complete and utter chaos. Books with their ages torn out lay all over. The monitor of her ancient second-hand computer had been smashed, as well her tape and television sets; it almost appeared as if no object lay unturned.

And what was worse was that her apartment was sound-proof, so no one would have become suspicious of the racket and informed the police.

She traced the sound of Tulsi's howling into the kitchen cupboard. Picking her way though her smashed crockery, she opened the door and he bounded out, digging his claws into her. But when he realized it was just his shocked owner, he eased off.

Walking back into the living area, she picked up something off of the floor that caught her eye. It was a button, a pearl button. Gypsy racked her brain. She had seen the button before, but where?

Then it hit her. She shoved the button into her pocket and dived under the bed.

A cold feeling took hold of her as she searched under the bed. It was not there. Not a single one. The entire collection of her old scrap books from college was gone.

She crawled from under the bed and sat with her back against it. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock. Wait a minute; her alarm cloak had broken the day after of the murder, when her editor had called. She had knocked it off of the bedside table and she hadn't bothered to get it repaired.

She searched the room, and there she found it, a time bomb about too go off. She bolted out of her apartment and pulled the fire alarm just outside.

"Tulsi!" She exclaimed, remembering her furred feline. Gypsy ran back into the apartment and located him in heartbeat. With no time to lose she sped on the fire escape.

The force of the explosion threw them into the air, where they both fell 3 stories down into the communal pool.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen 

Gypsy and Tulsi plunged, into the pool, the force of the drop causing a huge splash to erupt. Thankfully, they landed in the deep end of the pool, so neither was injured.

Gypsy held tightly onto Tulsi as they sunk deeper and deeper into the water. When her feet finally touched the bottom, using what little strength she had left, Gypsy propelled them upwards, gasping for air as she surfaced.

Tulsi wriggled out of her grasp and dog-paddled **1** towards the edge, and clambered out on his own. He then proceeded to hack up the excess water that was still in his lungs and shook the excess water off of his fur.

Gypsy floated for a moment, breathing deeply in an effort to catch her breath. She then followed Tulsi to the edge of the pool, lifted herself out, and gathered him up in her arms. Taking the long way around, she avoided the fallen debris towards the street.

She needed to get to the Domino Daily. While she was informing one of the guards of the Domino Daily, she heard someone calling her name.

"GYPSY!"

Gypsy and whirled around to face her speaker. To her surprise, it was Yami Bakura. He rushed up to her, grabbing her firmly by she shoulders as he cried: "Godammit, are you ok?"

She nodded slowly, still a bit disoriented.

"Just a little shook up but Yeah I'm fine, but Tulsi probably needs to get to the vet."

Bakura nodded for a few seconds in understanding but then stopped, blinked dumbly at her, and asked: "Um…why are you two wet?"

"Because I decided to use the fire escape as a spring board and dived into the pool."

His jaw dropped. "WHAT! You need to get to a doctor now!" he exclaimed, realizing the implications of her words.

"I'm fine."

Shaking himself he, released her shoulders, and said: "Well…come on, then. You need to get out of here. It isn't safe."

Gypsy narrowed her eyes at him. "But Tulsi needs to see a vet." She paused, before saying in a forcefully tone, "NOW."

The Yami Bakura sighed in defeat. "Ok, ok, I'll take you there; I'm not going to let you out of my sight, though."

Gypsy studied the look on his face for a moment before saying: "You are keeping something from me. You know who did this to me…don't you?"

"Well, yeah. That's why I need to get you to safety," he said, taking out his cell phone. "What's Joey's number?"

They took Y.B's motorbike to the nearest animal clinic. At the vet's office, they were met by Serenity and Joey. Serenity brought over some of Joey's things for Gypsy to change into, Serenity's clothes being too small. Gypsy gave Joey the pearl button which miraculously was still in the pocket of her sodden Jeans.

"No, not here, we need to talk somewhere where no one will hear us," Y.B said, silencing Gypsy's before she even had the chance to speak.

Once Tulsi had been given a clean bill of health, they all headed over towards Joey's office. Once they were behind locked doors, Joey grabbed Yami by his collar.

"You had something to do with that incident at Gypsy's apartment building, didn't you?" he spat bitterly.

"No. As a matter of fact, I didn't. But if you let go of me, with Gypsy's help, I should be able to _explain_ things," Bakura retorted, somewhat testily.

Joey eyed the Y.B wearily for a moment before roughly releasing him. "Fine," he snapped, setting down into a chair. "This better be good."

Gypsy proceeded to tell them everything that had happened from the moment she stepped into her apartment, to when Bakura had found her, including her conclusions on the button.

Joey took out, examined it, and put it down on the desk table in front of him. "This can't be…it can't be hers…"

"Wait a minute. You're saying that, since you think that's her button and all, that…_Tea_ killed her own husband?" Serenity asked in a disbelieving tone, gaping at both Gypsy and the Yami as if they were insane.

"Fine. Let's say this really is Tea's button. It doesn't explain why she trashed Gypsy's apartment," Joey piped up. "Nor does it explain why you arrived at the Domino Daily minutes after the explosion, Yami Bakura." He glared him. "Does it?"

"I finally worked up my nerve to go by the shop to offer my sympathy to the Moto's. When I got there I overheard what sounded like Tea and Yami arguing. Yami wanted to leave town, Tea replied that in a few moments, Gypsy would be out of the way, and with her the only evidence that could be used against them, and that they were safe.

"I immediately rushed over to her the apartment after hearing this. When I saw the flames, I thought I was too late. I was relieved when I saw her in front of the Domino Daily with Tulsi. I thought she had been a goner."

"Thank goodness you weren't hurt, Gypsy." Serenity exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"ME – OW," cried Tulsi crossly from his squeezed position on Gypsy's lap.

"Oh, and you Tulsi!" the redhead added with a laugh.

"Evidence!" Gypsy thought aloud. "They were in those books! That must have been why they took them."

"Books?" questioned Joey.

Gypsy nodded. "My old college scrap-books; I mentioned them on the night we were at Ishizu's fund raiser."

"What? How do they have anything to do with this?"

"The Film!" Gypsy suddenly exclaimed. She looked over at Joey. "I just remembered something…you know all that stuff that me, you and Serenity put into storage?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need the key; I put all my old film there. Hopefully, they are still in good condition."

"Yeah…I have the key put away," Serenity interjected, looking somewhat confused.

Gypsy ignored the girl's look and ushered them along. Not wanting to voice her suspicions until she had confirmed them.

They had no time to loose. After she had gotten a hold of the Film, she took them all to the Domino Police station, where she asked to speak to Lieutenant Smith, when she had gotten a hold of him, she begged him to blow up some of the pictures on film, telling him they would solve some unresolved points in the Moto murder. Out of curiosity he agreed.

Later, they sat in Lieutenant Smith office with blown up version of the picture of Yami and Yugi Gypsy had taken of them while they were in college, along with a picture taken from the video of a newscast of Tea and Yami.

"Oh my God!" Yami Bakura exclaimed, pointing frantically to the latter photo as something caught his eye.

"What?" Joey questioned, his eyes darting back and fourth between Y.B and the picture.

"Yugi Moto isn't dead." Gypsy stated her voice low and serious.

"What!" exclaimed Lieutenant Smith and Joey, together.

* * *

A/N: Yes cats can dog paddle; one of my cats –Kitty Kat who died shortly after Tulsi did did it during the Jan04 flood in Guyana when she had somehow got herself stuck next door. 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen 

The next day, Gypsy sat idly on a wooden bench, reading the newspaper, in a park not far from Joey's house. She was dressed rather casually in clothes that had been purchased that morning at the local Wal-Mart. All her things had been destroyed by the explosion.

For now, she was sleeping on Joey's couch till his current tenant moved out. Bit by bit, she would replace what was lost. Some things, though, like her duel monsters deck and family photo albums, couldn't be replaced. And as sad as that was, the important thing was that she and Tulsi were alive.

Today's headlines – _Mistaken Identities; Woman's dead husband actually brother-in-law; indicted CEO released_. The story contained only the necessary details.

She had requested to write one more article for the Domino Daily, wanting to put things right so the public would know the truth.

What had really happened?

The evening before, Gypsy had carefully explained to Smith and the others that the deceased was not Yugi Moto, but Yami Moto. How had she known? Well back in College, the Moto brothers each had their ear pierced. Yugi had pierced his right ear, while Yami did his left.

Smith instantly obtained a warrant to search the Moto residence on the premises that this was true. They found the dress Tea had worn earlier that day in court, minus one button, as well as orange cat hairs on the hem of the dress, later confirmed by DNA tests as Tulsi's.

They also located a tape with the recording of a gun being shot and Gypsy's college scrap books with the original pictures.

Yugi also had scratches on his ankles that he couldn't account for, which Joey had theorized had to be Tulsi's, considering the feline greatly disliked males.

Faced with all the evidence, Tea broke down and confessed.

Yugi and Tea had carefully set up the whole plot some time ago, starting with the life insurance they withdrew. After an allotted time, they then called Seto on the pretence of asking his advice, and set up a meeting at their home.

A little before Seto was due to arrival at the Moto's, they killed Yami using a muffled, semi-automatic pistol and dressed him in Yugi's clothing. When Seto arrived, they lured him upstairs and played the recording of the gun shots.

Tea was suppose to go in and make a fuss, as she did, and Yugi was supposed come in and accuse Kaiba of killing his brother and call the police.

One thing they had not counted on was Gypsy's sudden appearance. At first it had worked to their advantage, but when she mentioned the pictures she had taken in College, they knew that she, or someone else, would eventually see those pictures and realize that Yugi had not really been murdered.

So while Gypsy and Joey waiting out the trial's recess in the confines of the large courthouse, Yugi and Tea took the opportunity to go into her apartment, lock Tulsi up, and located the books. When they were done, they trashed her apartment in an attempt to vent over her incessant interference.

"Is this seat taken?" some one asked suddenly, breaking her thoughts.

Gypsy looked up to see Seto Kaiba standing there with a large bouquet of daisies in hand. He handed them to her and she accepted, scooting down a little so he could sit.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Joey told me."

"He did?"

"Right after introducing me to your cat – Tulsi I think was his name, friendly fellow. Came and jumped right up in my lap. Don't know why Joey snatched him and carried him out of the room, though…"

Gypsy chuckled. Guess Tulsi didn't hate _all_ men after all.

Neither spoke for a moment. After about ten seconds of silence, Kaiba spoke up: "I want to thank you…and apologize. You know, for being such a jerk."

Gypsy smile softly at him. "Apology accepted." She couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the fact that he looked genuinely relieved to hear her say that.

He took in a deep breath, releasing it as he said: "Are…you doing anything tonight?"

She raised a curious brow, but shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Let me take you out to dinner. I'd like us to start over again…put the past behind us."

Gypsy's smile broadened. "A new start huh?"

He nodded and smiled back. "I guess you could say that."

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Gypsy nodded. "I new start, Yeah. I think I'd like that."

* * *

A/N: The End. Hope you enjoyed it. Should i do a sequel or spin off? 


End file.
